By the time we got to Barnstock ... we were kinda old

There was a great Top Ten list on Letterman some time ago. Names for an upcoming Rolling Stones tour: “Geezers with Guitars,” “Hey, You, Get Off My Barcalounger” and my fave, “The Rolling Stones Live and Keith Richards, Too.”

Yes, I'm sorry to admit such monikers could have been applied to a local event last week. It was a rock festival/jam session to celebrate the 45th anniversary of construction of a building just south of Naperville Central High School known only as The Barn.

In its heyday, it was the only officially sanctioned place in town teens could go on weekend nights to recreate and listen to live music. Sometimes some national acts, such as the Cryan Shames, Rotary Connection and the Flock, made it to The Barn, but more often in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the place was filled with teens listening to the likes of Fog, the Vynes and Nepenthe.

A 45th anniversary might seem like an odd time to try to reassemble these musicians, but there was some fear that The Barn or some of the musicians might not be around for the 50th anniversary.

So Jennifer Hagemann Berthold (NCHS Class of ‘74) was waxing nostalgic with some other musicians from back in the day and the idea was born: The “Bringin' It All Back Home” revival, or as it came to be unofficially known, “Barnstock.”

The big event was on Saturday, Nov. 20. The show was opened by none other than Naperville‘s Most Ubiquitous, Mayor George Pradel. And while Pradel probably has done more ribbon-cuttings, festivals and local hoo-hahs than any other mayor in recorded history, it truly was appropriate that he was on hand to kick off Barnstock, as The Barn was part of his beat when he was Naperville's Officer Friendly.

Pradel reminded the assembled throng that his job was to keep an eye on us whippersnappers to make sure we weren't, that we hadn't been ... He paused.

“Drinking?!” yelled some wiseguy in the crowd.

But then it was time for the music. More than 40 musicians attended, and more than 160 people (The Barn's capacity) were on hand. Some of the old bands were re-formed, but it was a lot of mixing and matching. Only Berthold's Winslow Savage comprised its original members.

I was honored to be a part of this. Bill Howard who I've played in bands with, on and off, since high school and I met guitarist/vocalist Kevin Conlin and drummer Don Miller the evening before and the day of the event to form Blue Wind, a band name we may have used to play at The Barn many a moon ago.

And you know what? Sure, there were some rough edges, but the music was pretty darned good. And where else could you go to hear such tunes as “Susie Q,” “Badge,” “White Rabbit,” “Kick Out the Jams,” “Theme from Peter Gunn,” “Roadhouse Blues,” “Higher Ground” and a Johnny Rivers medley (“Secret Agent Man” and “Memphis”) performed by more than a half-dozen bands?

Yes, the evening was all about nostalgia, but we're using Facebook and other social media to share photos, reminiscences. A memory book, audio CD and DVD of the event also are planned.

That's good because while some of us still live in the greater Naperville area, Barnstock drew people from California, Florida and parts in between.

And for just one night, Berthold said, it was great to remember and perform our past. “It was such a magical, positive time for us when we were kids.”

And, of course, for those of us who are still kids at heart.